Counter mechanism



July-14,1953 H. N. BLISS 2,645,425

COUNTER MECHANISM.

Filed June 22, 1949 5 Shuts-Sheet 1 fi j v p 3 2a J5 2Q 27 be GALLONS DOLLARS CENTS fig. 5

' HAR E N BLISS July 14, 1953 -H. N, BLISS COUNTER MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jun e 22, 1949 ZINE- 97 HARVEY BLISS y 1953 H. N. BLISS I 2,645,425

' COUNTER MECHANISM Filed June '22, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheets HAR VEY NBLLSS BMW y 1953 Y H. N. aLlss 2,645,425

COUNTER MECHANISM I Filgd June 22, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet .4

) Q #5 7:? v r HARVEY/\[BL/JS 8& WWW I H. N. BLISS COUNTER MECHANISM July 14, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 22, 1949 HARVE NELJSS Patented July 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE COUNTER MECHANISM Harvey .N. Bliss, Windsor, Gonn assignor' to I Veeder-Root lncorporated, Hartford, Conn., a

corporation of Connecticut Application June 22, 1949, Serial No. 100,563

' .1 Claim. (01. 235-110) 1 This invention relates toregisteringor counting apparatus and has *particularrapplication. in mechanisms having means for registering the total amount or number of units of material. dispensed, and means for registering the total cost of the material dispensed onteach transaction. As an instance of a use to which the improvements of the present invention may beapplied, reference may be had to apparatus for dispensing gasoline or other fluids andwherein it is desired to register both the number of units dispensed and the cost thereof.

The object of the invention is to providean .improved apparatus of this sort'having various features of novelty and advantage and which is particularly characterized by its simplicity and economy in construction, the same comprisinga relatively few. number of parts which may be economically manufacturedand readily assembled; by its compactness, in that the assembly it will correctly registenthe amount and the cost of the liquid dispensed under all operating conditions of the pump systemwith which it is associated; *and by the readiness with which the counting devices may be resetto zero.

Other objects will be in part obvious and .in part pointed out. morein detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists: in'the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter setforth'an'd the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown one embodiment which the present invention may take:

Figure 1 is a frontelevational view of the registering mechanism with the cover thereof in place;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, the cover being removed;

Fig. 3 is a front view'with'the cover removed;

Fig. 4 is aside elevation of the mechanism as viewed from the right, referring to Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 4 with part of one side plate and part ofthe shifting mechanism of the invention being removed;

Fig. 6 is a view, partly in front elevationand partly in longitudinal section, of one of the cost indicators, the parts being shown in counting position;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 and showing the resetshaft and the pawl of one of the counter wheels in resetting position;

'Fig. 8 tea sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a'pawl through which each wheel is driven during a counting operation and reset during a resetting operation;

Fig. 10 is a side view of one of the counter wheels and an associated transfer pinion;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to'Fig. 4 butshowing on a larger scale the interlock mechanismfor preventing resetting under certain conditions'and driving of the counter apparatus under othercon- 'ditions; and

,Fig. 12 is a fragmentary top plan view of the interlock mechanism shown in Fig. 11. I

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the interlock mechanism taken substantially on line l3 l3 of Fig.

Referring generally to the construction shown in the drawings, A designates a frame in the opposite ends of which are mounted, for rotary and axial movements, reset shafts ID and H upon each of which are located, in end to end or aligned position, two indicators, one a cost indicator and the other a quantity indicator. The cost indicatorsare respectively designated by the letters C and C, and the quantity indicators by the letters Q and Q. Each indicator comprises a set of numeral wheels with transfer means therebetween. It will be noted, particularly from Fig. 2, that the costindicatorand the quantity indicator atone end ofthe mechanism arerespectively behind the quantity indicator and the cost indicator at the other end of the mechanism; that is to say, in top plan view the indicators are symmetrically positioned on the frame, the cost indicators being in diagonally spaced position and the quantity indicators being indiagonally spaced position in the other direction. As the wheels of the indicators C and Q and the wheels of the indicators C and Q are to 'be viewed from'opposite ends of the apparatus, the wheels of the indicators at opposite ends of the frame are arranged in reverse order to one "another and,as hereinafter described, all of the wheels of indicators are sorotated during a registering operation that the numerals thereof are consecutively brought downwardly into the windows l2 and I3. With the arrangement described, the same readings in the same order may be had when viewing the register from either end, and, therefor, confusion is avoided. The registering mechanism may be housed in a cover D which is shown in Fig. 1. The cover is provided at each end with two windows l2 and I3 positioned in side by side relation so as to register with the respective quantity and cost indicators. Below these respective windows may appear the indicia Gallons Dollars Cents, as shown in Fig. 1.

The quantity indicators Q and Q are driven through a bevel gear M- (Fig. 2) carried by a shaft l5 which may be connected to the shaft of a meter (not shown) of a dispensing pump or the like. The cost indicators C and C are driven by a bevel gear it carried by a shaft H which may be driven through a variable speed mechanism or so-called variator in selected timed relation to the shaft 45 and in accordance with the selected unit price of liquid dispensed. The gears I and i6 and their shafts extend through a large opening E: formed in the base of the frame A. The variator is not shown as it may be of any suitable type such as that illustrated in the patent to Edward A. Slye No. 2,111,996 granted March 22, 1938. The several indicators are adapted to be simultaneously reset to zero by turning a main or operating reset shaft l8 located between the reset shafts If] and H and geared thereto as later explained. When the apparatus is in condition for a registering op eration, the reset shafts Ill and H are in such axial position (see Fig. 6) that they remain stationary while the wheels may rotate thereon. When it is desired to reset the indicators, these shafts are shifted axially to a resetting position (see Fig. '7) in which the wheels are operatively associated with these shafts so as to turn therewith. For the purpose of simultaneously shifting these shafts, a shift bar I9 is provided.

Referring more particularly to the frame or supporting member A, the same comprises a generally rectangular plate having, adjacent each side margin, an upstanding web bolted to the edges of said plate and in which are journaled the shafts If], H and i8 and also countershafts 2i and 22, these countershafts being positioned between, and in the plane of the reset shafts l0 and l Each of the reset shafts is also supported between its ends by a bearing provided by a post 23 arising from the plate of the frame.

All of the indicators are similar in construction, arrangement, and operation, and the arrangement of the indicators at one end of the machine is identical to that at the other end. As here shown, each indicator may comprise a set of three counter wheels. The counter wheels of each of the cost indicators are respectively designated by the numerals 25, 26 and 21, and these wheels may respectively represent units of cents, tens of cents, and dollars, for example. Each of these wheels has, on its periphery, numerals running from 9 to 0. The wheels of the quantity indicators are respectively designated by the numerals 35, 36, and 37, and these wheels may respectively represent fractions, units, and

tens of gallons of liquid dispensed. Each wheel of each indicator is provided with a driven gear 38.

Referring now to the driving connections for the cost indicators C and C, the bevel gear it (which, as previously stated, may be driven by a variator) meshes with a bevel gear 48 fixed to the countershaft 22 to which is fixed, adjacent its opposite ends, spur gears 4i and 42, the former of which meshes directly with the driven gear 38 associated with the wheel of lowest order of the indicator 0. The other gear 42 is in mesh with an idler gear 43 which, in turn, meshes with the driven gear 33 of the first wheel 25 of the indicator C. The gear 43 is freely journaled on the intermediate shaft 2!. With this arrangement, it will be seen that the numeral wheels of each of the cost indicators will be rotated in such direction that, during a registering operation, the numerals thereof move downwardly into the windows [3 provided therefor. Referring now to the driving connections for the quantity indicators Q and Q, the bevel gear [4 (which, as previously stated, may be driven by the meter shaft through the variator) meshes with a bevel gear 65 loose on the shaft 2! between the ends of the latter. Fixed to this bevel gear is a spur gear 46 which directly meshes with the driven gear 38 of the fraction wheel of the quantity indicator Q. The driven gear 38 of the fraction wheel 35 of quantity indicator Q is driven from the gear 46 through an idler unit freely rotatable on the shaft 22. This idler unit comprises a gear 47 meshing with gear 46, and a gear 48 fixed to gear 41 and meshing with said driven gear 38. With this arrangement, as in the case of the cost indicators, the fraction wheels of the two indicators Q and Q are driven inopposite directions, but in each instance the numeral wheels, during the registration, move down into registry with the respective windows [2 at the opposite ends of the cover.

All of the indicators being of like construction, a description of one will suifice for all. Referring particularly to Figs. 6 and 7, wherein is shown, partly in section, one of the cost indicators, for example the indicator C, it will be seen that each wheel has a disk portion 50 and a cylindrical rim 5! on the periphery of which the numerals appear. The wheel is pinned or otherwise secured to one end of a hub 52 having a through bore for accommodating the reset shaft l i. This hub has radiating webs 53, one of which is radially slotted, as at 54, so as to accommodate a pivoted pawl 55. The pawl is normally urged into cooperative engagement with its respective driven gear 38 by a compression spring ll, one end of which bears against a rear edge of a pawl and the other end of which is seated in a recess 18 at the rear of the slot 54. The right-hand end of each hub forms a cylindrical bearing 5'! on which is journaled the driven gear 38. On the left-hand end of each wheel is a combined two-toothed driving gear and locking disk 56 which cooperates with a transfer pinion 61 (see Figs. 3 and 10) through which carrying operations are effected. The two teeth of the driving gear are offset from the plane of the locking disk. A notch 64 is also formed in the disk, and the rear edge 63 of this notch forms an abutment or stop shoulder adapted to cooperate with a stop member (59, as will be later explained. The transfer pinions are rotatably mounted between the wheels on rods 88 which are supported in suitable bearings 6! (Figs. 5 and 10) provided on posts 62 arising from the base plate of the frame A. As is usual, the transfer pinion has alternate long and short teeth and all of these teeth are adapted to mesh with the teeth of the associated driven gear 33; the two teeth of the driving gear 65 cooperate with the transfer pinion while the wheel of lower order is turning from 9 to 0 so as to advancev the wheel of next higher order one step; and the longer teeth engage the periphery of the locking disk so; as. to prevent rotation of the transfer pinion and the driven gear associated therewith at all times except during the transfer operation.

Referring now more, particularly to the construction of the pawls 55 and their relation to the driven gears 38., each pawl is shown, for illustrative purposes, as being in the form of a flat piece pivoted at one end on a pin 69 extending across a radial slot 54 in the web of the hub of the wheel (see Figs. 6, 7 and 8). served that the pawl is pivoted for swinging movement in a radial plane which includes the longitudinal axis of the wheel. The free or outer end of the pawl is provided on its extreme end with a number of fine V-shaped serrations or teeth 10 which are adapted to engage complementary teeth II. provided on the associated driven gear.

There is a complete internal frusto-conical band of: these teeth II. The teeth on the pawl and the teeth on the driven gear are complementary, they being of similar size, pitch and inclination so that they will properly intermesh. The size of the teeth is somewhat exaggerated in the drawings in the interest of clarity. In practice, there may be three hundred teeth H in each band and the sides of the teethmay be at 60 to each other in cross section. The arrangement is such that when a pawl is engaged with its driven gear and the latter is rotated during a registering operation, the pawl is securely wedged between its pivot and the driven. gear so that a positive driving engagement is maintained but the teeth are quite small or fine in order to insure proper engagement of the pawl with the driven gear after each resetting operation so that during such engagement there will be no displacement of a counter wheel from its zero positionto which it has been set. More particularly, it will be noted that the teeth Hi of thepawl are generally tangential to their are of swinging movement, they being, however, slightly inclined outwardly so as to-allow for manufacturing tolerances and to permit the pawl to move into, wedging engagement with its driven. gear without interference. With this arrangement, the direct line of thrust 8X- erted by the side surfaces of the teeth while driving the gear is slightly above the point of pivot of the pawl. Preferably, the line of thrust does not deviate more than 10 from a component passing directly through the pivot of the pawl.

In the present arrangement, the wheels are rotated in one direction during a. registering operation and are rotated by the reset shaft in the opposite direction during a resetting operation. In the drawings, the directions in which the sev eral elements are rotated during a registering operation are indicated by feathered arrows. Unfeathered arrows indicate the direction of rotation during resetting. As the driven gears 38 are always in mesh with the transfer pinions 61, and such pinions are held against rotation by the locking disks 66, except during a transfer operation, it is necessary to disengage the pawls from the driven gears preliminary to a resetting. operation and then reengage them with the driven, gears after the setting operation has been completed. Engagement and disengagement of the pawls with their driven gears 33 are effected by axially shifting the reset shafts l0 and I I. As hereinafter explained more in detail, during the resetting operation the wheels are non-positively or frictionally engaged through thepawls 55 It Will be 0bto. their respective reset shafts and the, reset shaftsv are turned more than 360 and, preferably, through one and one third revolutions. In order to stop the numeral wheels when they are reset to zero position, a reset stop member is associated with each numeral wheel. These stop members may be identical in construction. The stop members which are in the form of plates are pivoted on the rods 68 extending across the frame beneath the two sets of numeral wheels. The stop members are mounted generally in the respective planes of the locking disks 66 with which they are associated. Each stop member has an upwardly extending nose I with a rearwardly facing shoulder against which the heretofore described shoulder 63 of the respective locking disk is adapted to engage when the wheel has been reset to zero position, as shown in Fig. 10. When the locking disk is turned in a registering. direction, the nose I65 will ride upon the periphery of the disk. Each stop member is urged towards its respective locking disk by an individual spring I66 interposed between the lower edge of the stop member and a cross rib I67 arising from the frame A. In order to limit the extent of swinging movement of the stop member towards its locking disk, the stop member has an edge I68 which is adapted to engage against the periphery of the locking disk as shown in Fig. 10. Lateral movement of the stop membersis prevented since they are closely interspersed between the transfer wheels 61 and posts 62.

Referring now to the arrangement through which the wheels are reset, it will be observed, from Figs. 6 and 7, that each pawl 55 has, adjacent its pivoted end, a lobe or projection 14 adapted to extend into the bore of the hub 52. The reset shafts I0 and II have circumferential grooves 15 which freely accommodate these lobes when these shafts (see Fig. 6) are in non-reset ting position so that registering operations are not interfered with by the reset shafts. Each groove I5 is V-shaped or transversely curved in transverse section. When the reset shafts are shifted to the resetting position shown in Fig. 7, the lobes I4 ride out of the grooves I5 and onto the cylindrical portions of the shafts between the grooves !5. Thus, the pawls are cammed out of engagement with the driven gears, as indicated in Fig. 7.

The pawl springs 11, aided by springs E30, resiliently urge the lobes into frictional engagement with the shafts during a resetting operation. However, to insure ample frictional connection between the Wheels and the reset shafts I0 and II so that movement of the wheels to their zero positions by the shafts will be assured under all conditions of operation, additional frictional connecting means are provided, as follows: The shafts l0 and l I are each provided with a longitudinal spline It which is of less width than: that of the lobes of the pawls so that the latter will not engage therein. A friction disk 19 is disposed adjacent one face of the hub 52 of each wheel and is held in freely rotatable association therewith by a flat annular retaining member 8| having at its periphery a plurality of laterally extending ears 82 which extend through suitable slots in the adjacent locking disk 66 and disk portion 50 of each wheel, the free end. of each car 82 being bent over or peened to fix aretaining member 8I to each wheel. The wheels freely rotate relative to the friction disks during registering operations of the Wheels, said disks eachhaving a fixed key portion extending into the spline I6 of one of the reset shafts to prevent relative rotation therebetween and insure that during resetting operations rotation of the reset shafts will be imparted to the friction disks. Each pawl is provided with an additional compression spring 80 of such length and position that the spring 80 is effective only during a resetting operation. However, said spring 85 is then compressed by the pawl 55 and exerts force against a friction insert or shoe 83 which may be of any suitable wear resistant friction material such as cork. The insert 83 is mounted in a suitable socket in web 53 and is urged by the spring 80 into frictional engagement with friction disk l9 when the pawl is moved to the position shown in Fig. '7. At the same time the spring 86 adds its force to that of the spring I? to increase the frictional engagement between the lobe of the pawl and the periphery of the reset shaft. If desired, the insert may be backed up by a metallic disk I83. This arrangement also permits the spring 77 to be made lighter and thus reduce the energy necessary to cam the pawls to resetting position when the reset shafts ID and I2 are moved axially from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 7.

To recapitulate, it will be seen that when the reset shafts are in the non-resetting position, as indicated in Fig. 6, the springs TI urge the pawls into driving relation with the associated driven gears 38 and the counter wheels may be rotated in a counting direction relative to these now stationary shafts. During the registering operation, the driven gear 38 of the wheel of lower order of each indicator is driven through the respeci tive train of gears described and, upon a complete rotation of each wheel of lower order, the wheel of next higher order is advanced one stop through the transfer mechanism between the wheels. When a driven gear 38 is thus driven, the associated wheel rotates in unison therewith as it is clutched to the driven gear by the associated pawl 55. After the registering operation has been completed, the reset shafts If] and II are shifted longitudinally to the right from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. '7 through the shift member I9 in the manner hereinafter described. When the reset shafts are so shifted, the pawls 55, due to the engagement between their lobes "Hi and inclined sides of the grooves "I are cammed out of engagement with their driven gears 38. The lobes now frictionally engage the cylindrical portions of the reset shafts and the insert 83 of each wheel is urged into frictional engagement with its friction disk I9 by the spring so that upon turning the reset shafts the counter wheels are frictionally returned to their original zero positions. This is accompiished, for the most part, during the first complete revolution of the reset shafts, but if any of the wheels should not be fully returned to zero position during that period due to slippage between the pawls and the shafts, the wheels will be brought to full zero position owing to the fact that the reset shafts are turned one and one-third revolutions. After the resetting operation has been completed, the shafts are moved back to the non-resetting position shown in Fig. 6 whereupon the lobes of the pawls freely extend into the circumferential grooves 75. It is observed that the pawls 55 serve both the purposes of a driving connection between the wheels and their driven gears during the registering operation and to establish a resetting frictional connection between the wheels and the reset shafts during the resetting operation and, upon shifting of the reset shafts in opposite directions, the pawls are respectively engaged with and disengaged from their driven gears. As previously explained, when the pawls are re-engaged with their driven gears, no appreciable error is introduced. It will further be seen that all of the counter units are substantially identical to one another except that the driven gears 38 of the wheel of lower order are slightly different from the driven gears of the subsequent wheels. This means that the cost of providing a variety of different parts for the several wheels is eliminated and the wheels may be assembled from the same stock of parts so that economy in production and assembly is had. With the arrangement of pawls and driving gears described, these elements may be very economically manufactured and they are very proficient in operation.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the mechanism is illustrated as having a totalizing counter 92 for registering the total amount of gasoline dispensed during successive dispensing operations and a totalizing counter 93 for indicating the total cost thereof. Each of these counters may be of the usual non-reset type having a succession of numeral wheels 95 with transfer pinions therebetween. The totalizing counters are mounted in a narrow frame 98 secured to the main frame A beneath the quantity indicator Q and the cost indicator C. The first or unit wheel of the totalizer 92 is connected to the driven gear 38 of the fraction wheel 35 of the indicator Q by a combined gear and pinion unit 91. The first or unit wheel of the totalizer 93 is similarly connected to the driven gear of the cent wheel of the cost indicator C. It is observed that, with the arrangement described, the totalizers are associated with the respective quantity and cost indicators in a very simple manner, the driving connection between each totalizer and its associated indicator merely being in the form of a gear and pinion unit 91.

The reset shafts ID and II are turned in re setting directions by the main reset shaft I8 through the gears and 86 at the left-hand side of the right-hand web 20 of the apparatus (see Fig. 2) and the train of gears shown in side elevation in Fig. 4 and in top plan at the righthand side of Fig. 2. The shaft I8, at either end, may have a slotted head 84 for accommodating a key, not shown, by which it may be manually rotated to reset the apparatus. The driving gear 85 is arranged to be driven by main reset shaft I8. Fixed to shaft I8 is a clutch plate I92 provided with a plurality of diametrically opposed conical recesses I93 which are spaced different distances from the axis of shaft i8, as will be seen from Fig. 13. Gear 85 is provided with a pair of conical lugs I94 arranged to be complementary to recesses I93 and be received therewithin at one angular position of the gear 85 relative to plate I92. A spring I95 on shaft It extends between gear 85 and one of a pair of nuts I96 adjustably mounted on a threaded sleeve I97 fixed to shaft I8. The other nut I96 is a lock nut whereby the tension of the spring I95 may be adjusted to vary the force exerted by gear 85 against plate I92. This construction is primarily to prevent an operator from rapping the reset handle (not shown) connected to one of the slotted heads 85, while resetting the wheels in an effort particularly to move the reset shaft relative to one or more of the quantity or cost wheels so that some of the wheels will lag behind the shaft movement and, after the reset shaft has completed its cycle, some of the wheels thereon will be out of zero position when the others are at zero position and the mechanism is otherwise in condition to start a registry operation. If, for example, one of the cost wheels is advanced from zero position when such registry commences, the total cost at the completion of registry will be greater than it should be and a customer will be overcharged. The totalizing counter 93 for the total cost will not show such advance of said one wheel since such rapping will merely move one of the wheels relative to its driving wheel 38 and the reset shaft on which the wheel is mounted. In the present arrangement, the slope of the conical walls or faces of the lugs I84 and recesses I93 is such that any rapping movement attempted by a quick sharp blow on the resetting handle will cause the lugs and recesses to disengage with the result that the resetting shaft I8 will not be moved and the handle will have to be turned a full rotation to reengage the gear. 85 and clutch plate I92. The tension of spring I95 is adjusted so that it will hold the gear .85 and plate I92 in clutched engagement to effect connection between the resetting crank and gear 85 when the crank is turned at a normal intended speed to reset the wheels, but the inertia of the resetting gears and reset shafts is such that the tension of said spring will be overcome if the reset'handle is rapped and cause separation of the gear 85 and clutch plate I92 as described above.

The load imposed upon the connection between said clutch plate and gear is greatest at the initiation of resetting movement of reset shaft I8, due to the simultaneous camming of all of the pawls 55 to the positions thereof shown in Fig. 7 by longitudinally shifting reset shafts I8 and II. Thus, to insure against at least complete separation of said gear and clutch plate under such initial load, gear 85 is provided with a short lateral arcuate rib I85 shown in Figs. and 13, which is engageable with a face of an upstanding member I86 fixed to the base of frame A. The distance between the outer end of rib I85 and said face of member I86 is less than the length of the portions of lugs I94 which extend into recesses I93, whereby, if said lugs and gears separate somewhat during the imposition of such initial load, the rib I85 will be moved into sliding engagement with member I86 before the complete separation of lugs I94 could be effected from recesses I93. The length of rib I85 is such that it will be engageable with member I86 until main reset shaft I '8 has rotated sufficiently to complete the longitudinal shifting of reset shafts I8 and II to their resetting positions shown in Fig. 7 by means of shift bar I9 and cam I84.

. The driving gear 85 meshes with gear 86 which is fixed to the shaft 2|. Fixed to the left-hand end of said shaft 2| (referring to Fig. 2) is a wide gear 81 which meshes directly with a gear 88 fixed to the left-hand end of the reset shaft II. The gear 81 also meshes with a wide intermediate or idler gear 90 freely journaled on the shaft 22, and the gear 98 meshes with a gear 89 fixed to the left-hand end of the reset shaft I8. Gear 86 is fixed to shaft 2| at the left of righthand web 28 and another gear 98 is fixed to said shaft on the outer side of said web 28. Gear 98 meshes with another gear 99 which is freely rotatable on reset shaft I8. Thus gear 85, through gears 86 and 98, drives gear 99 and the ratio of said gears is such that two revolutions of reset shaft I8 will revolve gear 99 once. The gears and 86 are in the ratio of about 2 to 3., and the gears 81, 88, 89, and 88 are of the same diameter so that, upon two complete rotations of the main reset shaft I8, the reset shafts I8 and II are respectively rotated in opposite directions through approximately one and one-third rotations.

Referring now to the manner in which the reset shafts I8 and II are shifted, it will be seen from Figs. 2 and 4 that the shift bar I9 has bifurcated ends I88 which extend into grooves I8I provided on the right-hand ends of the reset shafts I8 and I I. The shift bar, at its central portion, carries a pair of depending cam followers or rollers I82 which engage opposite sides of a rib I83 of a rotatable cam I84 fixed to gear 99 so as to be rotatable therewith on the main .reset shaft. The cam rib I83 is so shaped that, on initially turning the main reset shaft I8, the shift bar is moved laterally to the right so as to draw the reset shafts into the resetting position shown in Fig. 7; then, on continuedrotation of the main reset shaft, thereset shafts I8 and II remain in their resetting positions (during which time the counter Wheels are reset to'zero); and then, as the reset shaft is finishing its second complete rotation, the shift bar is laterally moved to the left so as to push the reset shafts I8 and II back into the non-resetting position shown in Fig. 6.

In order to limit the rotation of the cam I84 to an angle of 360 during each resetting operation, this cam (which is fixed to gear 99) has on it a disk 8 with which cooperates a stop pawl III. In the present illustrative disclosure, the disk as well as cam I84 and gear 99 are fixed to a sleeve I85 journaled on the shaft I8. The sleeve is driven in unison with the shaft I8 through the gears 85, 86, 98 and 99. The disk has a notch provided with a shoulder I I2 which is adapted to engage against the end of the arm II3 of the pawl III, as shown in Fig. 11. Movement of the pawl into andout of stopping position is controlled by an interlock mechanism for preventing resetting v of the indicators during a registering operation and after a registering operation until the power is rendered ineffective to drive the indicators, and for preventing a subsequent dispensing operation until the indicators have been reset to zero following the preceding dispensing operation. This interlock mechanism is here shown for illustrative purposes only and, therefore, will be only briefly described. The stop pawl I I I is pivoted on a stud II4 for limited vertical movement and, to this latter end, the opening H5 in the pawl, and through which opening the stud II4 extends, is slightly elongated. The pawl III is in the form of a lever, the horizontally extending arm II6 of which has, adjacent its end, an upwardly facingabutment II'I. Also pivoted on the stud H4 is a cam .lever I I8, the free end of which cooperates with a spiral or involute cam I I9 fixed to the sleeve I85 behind thedisk I18. The stop pawl III is normally urged into engagement with the periphery of the disk I I8 by a spring I28. The cam lever is normally urged into engagement with the periphery of the involute cam II9 by a, spring I2 I. In order to insure that a resetting operation, once started, is completed, a ratchet wheel I23, fixed to shaft I8, is engaged by a spring biased pawl I24 pivotally supported on stud I22, thus making shaft I8 unirotational.

The numeral I25 designates a main control lever pivoted on a pin I28 and disposed in a plane at right angles to-the planes 'ofthe members I I I and I I8. The main control lever I is normally urged inwardly by a spring I2'I. The upper end of the lever I25 may be operatively connected, through means not shown, to the hose hook of a pump, it being sufficient to say here that the arrangement is such that, when the hose nozzl is placed upon the hook, the lever I25 is moved into the full line position shown in Fig. 13, and when the nozzle is removed from the hook, the lever is freed so that it will move to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 13 under the influence of the spring I2'I. The numeral I designates a power control lever pivoted on the stud or pin I26. Th outwardly extending end of this lever may, for example, be connected, through suitable means not shown, to a switch which controls the motor of the pump. The arrangement may be such that, when the power control lever I30 is in the depressed position shown by full lines in Fig. 13, the switch is open so that a dispensing operation cannot 'be initiated and, when the lever is in the raised dotted line position shown in Fig. 13, the switch is on so that a dispensing operation can be proceeded with. Pivoted to the main control lever I25, as at I3l, is a reset release latch I32 adapted to cooperate with the stop pawl I II in such manner that, when th nozzle is removed from the hook and the main control lever I25 is moved to the dotted line posiion shown in Fig. 13, the stop pawl I II is thrown to the non-operative position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 11, thus releasing the resetting mechanism for operation. In the present instance, the latch I32 has a downwardly facing tooth I33 adapted to engage the abutment II'I on the tail end of the stop pawl III. It also has a curved toe I29 adapted to cooperate with a fixed inclined cam surface I34. The reset release latch I32 is normally urged towards the tail end of the stop pawl by a spring I35. Pivoted by a pin I39 to the right-hand end of the cam lever is a detent I corresponding in structure to the release latch I32. The detent has a tooth I42 cooperating with a shoulder I4I on the inner end of the power control lever I30. The detent has a curved toe I43 adapted to cooperate with a fixed inclined cam surface I44. The detent is normally urged towards the lever I30 by a spring I45.

The operation of the interlock mechanism is briefly as follows: Starting with the mechanism in the condition shown by the full lines of Figs. 11 and 13, and in which condition it is when the nozzle is upon the hook, it will be seen that the indicators cannot be reset to zero at this time because the stop pawl is in position where the cam [i0 is prevented from being rotated in a resetting direction; and, further, since the power contro1 lever is down and the motor switch is open, a dispensing operation cannot be effected. Now, when it is desired to make a dispensing operation, the nozzle is raised from the hook, whereupon the main control lever I25 swings to the right to its dotted line position and, as the reset release latch I32 is in operative relation to the stop pawl i I I, the stop pawl is pivoted clockwise with reference to Fig. 11 and is then slightly raised by the spring I20 to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 11 and in which position the upper end of the arm II3 of the stop pawl rests upon the periphery of the disk IIO rearwardly of the shoulder or abutment I I2. It will be understood that, as the stop pawl is thus moved to inoperative position, the curved toe I29 will engage the fixed inclined cam surface I34 so that the reset release latch is released from the stop pawl III. The wheels of the indicators may now be reset to zero by turning the reset shaft and the disk H0 through an angle of 360 and, when thus turned, further turning movement of the reset shaft is prevented due to the fact that the stop pawl I II assumed its stopping position with respect to the shoulder I I2. During the resetting operation, the power control lever I30 remains in its inoperative position shown in Fig. 13. It is held in this position by a horizontal L-shaped keeper I36 pivoted by a pin I31 to a suitable projection fixed to the frame A. One end I38 of the keeper normally extends beneath a shoulder I49 (Fig. 13) on the lever I30 normally to prevent movement thereof clockwise. However, as the resetting operation is completed, this lever is automatically thrown into operative position through the cam lever H8 and the detent I40. It is observed that, during rotation of the disk, the cam II9 will lower the left-hand end and raise the right-hand end of the cam lever II8 so that the tooth I42 of the detent I40 is raised to an operative position above the shoulder I4I on the inner end of the power control lever. While the detent I40 is being raised, one edge of it wipes against the end I38 of the keeper I36 to move it clockwise as viewed in Fig. 12 and remove the end I 38 from its position beneath shoulder I49 on lever 130. The other end of keeper I36 has a lug I4! extending through an irregular shaped opening I48 in main control lever I25. When said lever is moved clockwise, as shown in Fig. 13, when the hose is removed from its hook, the shape of the opening I48 is such that the keeper will remain in its holding position shown in Fig. 12. Further, at the completion of the resetting operation, the left-hand end of the cam lever will move off the high point of the cam I I9 to the low point thereof under the influence of the spring IZI. Thereby, the detent is lowered and, as the tooth I42 thereof is in position to engage the shoulder I4I on the power control lever and the keeper I 36 has been moved from beneath shoulder I49, the power contro1 lever is moved from the full line inoperative position to the dotted line operative position shown in Fig. 13 so as to close the motor switch. As the power control lever is thus moved downward, the curved toe I43 of the detent engages the inclined cam surface I44 with the result that the detent is moved out of operative engagement with the power control lever. The dispensing operation may now be proceeded with. When the hoze nozzle is again placed upon the hook, the main control lever I25 is drawn forwardly so that it again assumes the full line position shown in Fig. 12, and during this operation, an extension I45 engages the power control lever I30 thereby moving it to inoperative or switch open position. At the time the main control lever I25 is returned to its full line position in Fig. 13, one edge of the opening I48 engages the lug I41 on keeper I36 to restore it to its position shown in Fig. 12 to dispose the end I38 thereof below shoulder I49 of the power control lever I30.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of 13 the scope of the invention which, as a matter 0 language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

In a registering mechanism, a frame, a first set of two co-axially mounted indicators arranged in end-to-end relationship and adapted to be viewed from one end of the frame; each of said indicators comprising a plurality of co-axially mounted wheels of successively higher denomination, a driven gear associated with each wheel, and transfer means between adjacent wheels; a second set of two like co-axially mounted indicators arranged in side-by-side relation to said first set and adapted to be viewed from the opposite end of the frame, the wheels of said first set being arranged in reverse order to those of said second set, a first shaft and a second shaft mounted in said frame between said two sets of indicators in spaced parallel relation thereto and to each other, an idler gear journaled on said first shaft and meshing with the driven gear of the wheel of lowest order of one of the indicators of the first set and located at one end of said set, means for driving said second shaft, a gear fixed to said second shaft and meshing with said idler gear, a gear fixed to said second shaft and meshing with the driven gear of the wheel of lowest order of one of the indicators of the second set and located at the other end of said second set, a driven unit journaled on said first shaft between its ends and having a gear meshing with the driven gear of the wheel of lowest order of the other indicator of the first set, and an idler unit journaled on said second shaft and meshing with said last mentioned gear and with the driven gear of the wheel of lowest order of the other indicator of the second set, the driving connections being so constructed and arranged that the wheels of the two sets of indicators are driven in opposite directions whereby identical readings on the indicators may be obtained from opposite ends of the frame.

HARVEY N. BLISS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 316,473 Martin Apr. 28, 1885 951,375 Lesher Mar. 8, 1910 1,330,653 Phinney Feb. 10, 1920 2,1 5,322 Svenson Aug. 2, 1938 2,173,590 Mayers 2d Sept. 19, 1939 2,206,239 Rossberg July 2, 1940 2,285,825 Moriarty June 9, 1942 

